Better off alone part V
by Brian Willis
Summary: Brandon and the X-men reluctantly team with the Brotherhood to find Logan and stop the Sentinel while confronting Magneto's newest recruits.If you are new to this series, you should really read the other chapters first.


1 Better off Alone part V: Surprises  
  
  
  
Over the passing weeks, Brandon, as well as the other mutants, mainly Bobby, had improved immensely on their powers and techniques. One of these were the way the two similar-powered created a move similar to two familiar faces of the acclaimed videogame "Mortal Kombat".  
  
Brandon's technique resembled that of Scorpions. He would shoot his spear out of his hand, made of the nitrogen-like substance that he possessed, at the target. It would stick to them or go through them, whatever Brandon chose. It was usually the first. After the initial contact, Brandon would pull his hand/ arm back and the target would be pulled toward him for a brutal beating. Move #2 was where he'd rip off the mask he had on, and spit the nitro from his mouth onto the target at a specified distance.  
  
Bobby-man( as Brandon called him), had perfected the his tactic like that of Scorpion's nemesis, Sub-Zero. He'd palm his hands back, collect the elements of the cold, and shoot it forth in a powerful, concussion-ball of ice and cold stuff. Another move he had perfected was like that seen in the 1st MK movie. He'd power up, and gather energies, and shoot them forth, freezing anything in the diameter he wanted.  
  
There were good times and bad times. But nothing surprised the X-(wo)men more than the shocker of Wolverine's disappearance, and the announcement that the crew was going in with the Brotherhood.  
  
The hangar/elevator door opened up to reveal the hated team. Gasps and groans of anger and shock flooded the room.  
  
"You all alone are not ready to face Magneto. With their help, provided the differences are put aside, you can beat him.", said the Professor, a look of concern and discontentment invading his face. The Xmen all sighed and conversed amongst themselves.  
  
"Professor, this has to be some type of joke!", said Kitty, in a small rage. As the brotherhood exited the elevator, Pietro zoomed forward around the young Katherine.  
  
"You lost. Get over it.", said the silver-haired teen. He easily evaded a slap with his speed.  
  
"Lost?", asked Brandon curiously. He had never been on a mission against the BH, so he didn't know what Pietro was talking about.  
  
"Hey! We got a new one, here.", Lance said. He received a slap on the back from his colleagues.  
  
"Don't look so bad to me.", Brandon said, through his mask and folded arms. He looked at everyone who opposed him and his friends. Brandon then returned his gaze to Lance, "Problem?"  
  
Lance walked over to the ebony-skinned man of the same height, nearly. They sized each other. Lance then broke out in a laugh, then stopped immediately.  
  
"You have no idea who you're talking to.", Lance said, a slight snarl o his face.  
  
"Even if I did, what would you do?", Brandon retorted. He took off his mask and looked his opposition in the eye.  
  
"Enough, you two.", said the professor, "We're running out of time. We have to find Wolverine soon.", the Professor rolled up to the two involved in the standoff. In obedience, they both backed down.  
  
"Be waiting for you.", Lance said sarcastically.  
  
"There's nothing between us but space and opportunity.", responded Ellis coldly. He looked at the Brotherhood as they stood together. That was when Lea walked in from out of the Danger Room. The yellow paint mark was apparently old, with some new ones. She must've been the only one who actually tried twice.  
  
"What's going on?", she asked, solemn, yet curious at the same time. She looked around, and her eyes met with Lance's for about 7 seconds. Brandon caught this and thought that he felt his blood boil…  
  
"Hey, little lady. Wanna hang out with me? At my place", asked the speed demon Pietro, as he zoomed from both Lea's sides while talking. Normally, she was a sucker for a good looking man. That was just 1 of the few problems why she couldn't get off of Brandon….  
  
That wasn't the case here.  
  
"My shoulder's sore. Could you get off of me?", asked the young latina, a slight hint of annoyance in her voice. It was the gritted teeth. This was when Scott began to argue with the professor about why the Brotherhood was needed for this mission. They argued and argued.  
  
"Face it, Summers, you're just not a good leader.", said Lance, with a slight smirk on his face. He approached Scott and Scott approached him. He then grabbed Lance by the collar of his uniform.  
  
"You want the job!? You can have it.", he said angrily. He then walked to the elevator and went up to the main floor. Most of them were shocked. Evan shook his head and cursed to himself as he leaned on the wall.  
  
"Scott..", said Jean, prepairing to go after him, but Xavier stopped her.  
  
"No, Jean. Let him go.", he said. They all left the Danger room a few minutes after.  
  
  
  
  
  
Before they new it, the first mission with the combined team had gotten under way. The X-Chopper and Jet loaded, the teams prepped for launch. They did. As they were in the air, the teams conversed amongst themselves. Mainly, it was X-(wo)man to X-(wo)man, and Brotherhoodite to Brotherhoodite.  
  
That was exactly the case here. The two teams practically boarded the same side of the jet and chopper as their team mates. It was some serious bad blood boiling, and just making up all of a sudden wasn't going to cool anything down.  
  
NitroGen sat down and looked at the compartment above his seat. He had put his mask in there currently to boarding. It was blue with a small amount of black, like his uniform. He put it on and tied it around in the back. Then he looked out of the window…at the landscape underl him. It reminded him of home. But it was not a good time to be thinking of such trivial things. Now he had to concentrate on a seriously dangerous mission, one like none other, said Rogue to him earlier. On top of this being his first and possibly most dangerous mission, Brandon was paired up with the team which tried to kill his friends, and a team…the same team.. in which he nearly fought a guy he didn't know or never even met.  
  
Things weren't playing his cards.  
  
After about 10 minutes, he looked to his left. He had just remembered that Lea was sitting next to him. SubSonic was her X-name, thanks to her sound powers. Irony had been beating the shit out of Brandon's pride lately. He had found himself talking to the girl he so passionately hated a lot more. He also found himself comforting her during one of these talks…about her parent's divorce. She wound up crying into Brandon's shoulder. That was possibly the moment that changed his feelings toward her. He saw that who he thought was a bitch had a soft side.  
  
They both even had cornrows!  
  
Finally they landed. It was time for Lea and Brandon's first battle. The both got up when it was time for them to exit. She looked at him. Brandon smiled, but it was veiled by his mask. She knew he was. They exited the plane, as the Storm stayed aboard to monitor the events, and to provide backup.  
  
One of teams walked through an open dock behind a few warehouses. With this Magneto guy around that Brandon had heard so much about, he knew that those were to be a threat. Suddenly, Brandon put his guard up,his left hand back and right forward…a position which was favored if he were to throw the nitrogen spear, as everyone else did. It was a clank sound which turned out to be nothing but a rat coming from behind a can.  
  
Brandon relaxed some and checked over to Lea to see if she was alright. She showed that she was with a smile. Suddenly, the dumpsters flew up in the air. Magneto had begun his assault. They were launched like projectiles in random directions which just happened to be where the fighters were. The X- men/Brotherhood team began their defensive maneuvers, consisting of evasive action and their powers. Scott shot his beams everywhere. Avalanche dodged most of them, using his rock-falling powers to his advantage. Lea used her sound to deflect one of the huge dumpsters. IT took some energy our of her and left her vulnerable. Magneto saw this and sent one of the trash receptacles at her. She turned to see it bearing down on her. As Brandon dodged one of the flying dumpsters, he looked to see one bearing down on his ally. He deflected it with a nitro-disc.  
  
Then the infantry came. Colossus, Gambit, and the others. Gambit threw his aces everywhere while the giant machine showed his strength. Brandon saw Blob confronting the giant machine, yet people were having one hell of a time with Gambit. Brandon finally unveiled his spear move, quote and all.  
  
"GET OVER HERE!!!", he yelled. His left hand shot forward, palm out, as the mist around his hands swirled through the air, forming a long, clear tube- like structure, a blunt curve at the front. Gambit successfully evaded the speeding spear as it collided with a barrel of oil and caused an explosion. The card-man threw his aces everywhere in a vain attempt to hit his attackers. Explosions went everywhere. It seemed like almost an eternity until the ground shook.  
  
NitroGen looked up to see the Sentinel towering over him and his comrades. On top of that, the wild-card by the name of Wanda Maximoff had went power-crazy. In a fitful rage, she lashed out at a man standing on top of a building. She levitated up to the platform to confront her paternal guardian. Meanwhile, the rest of the people faced a 50-foot robot hell-bent on the destruction of all mutants. Today wasn't their day. After a well placed grenade explosion on the left shoulder joint via a teleportation by Nightcrawler had stunned the giant, Scott fired his beams which seemingly did nothing which was rather unusual. Brandon used his spears to climb his ways up onto the leviathan, only to be thrown off by the falling beast. It crashed to the ground in a huge explosion, and the team remained unscathed. It was over for now, as the team evacuated. 


End file.
